


where are we now?

by janaverse



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Gen, M/M, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 19:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janaverse/pseuds/janaverse
Summary: duo is finally back, but things are far from okay and trowa is invested.written for this prompt: “I saw you staring at each other, I just wasn’t sure if it was sexual tension or murderous rage.”





	where are we now?

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be light and fluffy, but it took a completely different direction - much to my surprise. i will most definitely be writing more in this universe; some in the future and some in the past. for now, i think it stands fine on its own.

“I saw you staring at each other, I just wasn’t sure if it was sexual tension or murderous rage.”

Heero lifts his head from whatever he is reading and glares at Trowa. “Mind your business, Barton.”

Trowa shrugs, accustomed to both the look and the attitude he’s getting from Heero. He probably shouldn’t have said anything, but it’s been weeks since Duo joined Preventers and the two haven’t spoken a word to one another.

Whatever happened last year between Heero and Duo is their own business, Trowa agrees, but it has been negatively affecting interaction within the group, and so he feels justified in bringing it up. Perhaps he could have phrased it differently, but Trowa can’t make himself regret what he said.

“Can you stand to be in the same room with him for more than 10 minutes?” Trowa asks.

“Yes.” Heero says, and Trowa swears he can hear the man’s teeth grinding.

“An hour?”

Heero just grunts this time, not even bothering to look up at Trowa.

“Dinner tomorrow night at Mitzie’s. 19:00.” Trowa tells him.

Still no response.

“Duo said he was okay with it.” Trowa adds. He doesn’t know if this will help or if it could end up making matters worse.

“Fine.” Heero says tersely, indicating that it’s clearly anything but.

Trowa lets it go, satisfied that he was able to get an affirmative response from Heero.

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On Saturday night, Trowa shows up at Heero’s apartment at 18:30 to make sure that Heero keeps his reluctant promise.

Heero is already dressed and does not look pleased to find Trowa out in the hallway.

Trowa slowly looks Heero up and down, finally settling on his face. Heero could not have missed the appraisal Trowa just gave him but says nothing. Heero’s expression is what Trowa would classify as bored, but he is wearing black slacks and an olive dress shirt. It’s a little on the overdressed side for Mitzie’s, but Heero, having been there many times, is aware of this, and so Trowa chooses not to say anything.

“Ready?” He asks.

Heero nods in return and turns out the foyer light and follows Trowa through the hall toward the elevator.

It is completely silent during the ride down to the lobby and Heero is facing forward and standing near the door, seemingly anxious to exit. Trowa thinks there is more to it than that, but he doesn’t ask. They will arrive at their destination soon enough, and Trowa suspects he will have his answer then.

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The glorified bar they have all agreed to meet at has some of the best food in the area. The atmosphere is laid back, which Trowa admits is a great part of the allure. The four of them have been meeting up here every month or so for a low-key evening. There is a dart board and a pool table, but the former pilots rarely take advantage of those amenities. Heero is adamant that they have the widest selection of imported beers; something he occasionally likes to indulge in.

Wufei and Quatre are already seated at their regular booth when Heero and Trowa arrive. An extra chair has been added to the head of the table for their fifth tonight. Trowa thinks that if Duo decides to join them from now on, that they might need to start using one of the larger, round tables located in the center of the room. The wooden booths scattered around the edges are more private, and therefore preferred, but Trowa doesn’t think further about it; deciding to wait and see how things go tonight.

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Everyone is seated in their usual spots, Wufei and Quatre on one side of the table and Heero and Trowa on the other. Wufei is seated next to the wall, as is Heero, leaving Quatre and Trowa sitting across from one another and nearest to the empty seat. The arrangement could not have been more appropriate, Trowa thinks, though the seating had been decided nearly a year prior.

The door to Mitzie’s opens and Trowa watches as Duo enters the bar, alongside another man. The two are talking, and Trowa is sitting so close to Heero that he can actually feel the sudden tension in Heero’s body and lays a hand on Heero’s arm. Trowa is sure that Heero is thinking about bolting, again suddenly glad that Heero is seated on the inside, making an escape more difficult.

Duo sees them, and heads towards the table, waving casually at the other patron who entered the bar at same time he did.

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Trowa already knows what everyone wants to drink and so he only needs to ask Duo, who quickly looks the menu over before deciding on a local beer they serve on tap. Quatre has already involved Duo in a conversation before Trowa is more than a few feet from the table. He can’t hear what they are saying, but it doesn’t really matter; any conversation is good conversation.

By the time he gets back with the drinks, Duo is telling a story about one of the odd jobs he’d taken a few months ago. He is engaging the other three as best he can, but Trowa can still see that look that Heero is focusing on Duo. He still doesn’t know what it means, but Duo looks away quickly when his eyes inevitably land on Heero.

The drinks are a welcome distraction, and Heero holds his bottle up before taking a sip, silently making a toast. To what, Trowa can only guess. Maybe it is to the five of them being reunited tonight, or maybe it is meant to be a welcome to the Preventers for Duo. The sentiment, whatever it might be, is accepted by everyone, and Duo tips his glass to his lips, drinking the entire contents before noisily setting the empty glass back down on the table in front of him.

Trowa can’t say he blames Duo for how quickly he drained his beer. The tension is palpable, and aside from Heero and Duo, no one knows how to diffuse it. Trowa isn’t entirely convinced that Heero and Duo themselves have the answer.

About ten minutes pass before Heero volunteers to get the next round of drinks, and Trowa stands and moves off to the side to let him out. Heero lays his hand lightly on Duo’s left shoulder as he passes the other man by, and Duo stiffens but stands too and follows Heero to the bar.

The remaining three friends at the table exchange wary glances as the pair leave; apprehensive, yet at the same time hopeful. Trowa watches his friends carefully as they navigate the crowded space. It does not appear as if there is any dialogue going on. Duo is walking several steps behind Heero; both of his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. 

Heero’s posture seems more relaxed than earlier, Trowa notes, and then they are out of view.

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Trowa checks his watch again.

It has been nearly fifteen minutes since Heero and Duo left to get another round of drinks, and Trowa cannot see the bar from where they are sitting, but he doubts that is where they are. As crowded as the pub is tonight, Trowa knows it rarely takes this long to fill a drink order.

The waitress approaches their table and is politely informed by Quatre that they need a few more minutes.

Trowa, Quatre and Wufei talk amongst themselves as if this is just another one of their get-togethers. They try to keep their jobs out of the conversation, but it is a difficult chore, and even the most innocuous of subjects seem to bring them right back around to work.

Wufei alerts them with a slight nod of his head the direction of the bar that the missing pair are returning. Trowa does not react, only getting up when they approach the table to let Heero slide across the wooden bench and back to his seat.

Duo sets the tray of drinks down in front of him and then passes each of them to their respective owners. Once done, he sits, and the conversation begins about what to order for dinner. Duo asks for recommendations and listens carefully as everyone offers their opinions. He glances at the menu for a brief moment and then closes it and announces he is ready.

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There is no need for them to assign a designated driver.

All five of them live within walking distance of Mitzie’s in Preventer housing. Trowa does not consider them barracks, though he is willing to admit that there are some similarities. The apartments are more affordable than standard ones in the area and the convenience is a definite plus.

Trowa can only recall one time over the past year that any of them drank enough to require assistance in getting home. He recalls it more as the night he came to learn that Wufei had two cats.

Duo orders two more beers from the waitress while he eats, bringing the total number he’s consumed so far to four; not that Trowa is counting. He does not appear to be inebriated, but Trowa isn’t sure that he knows what signs to look for. Duo has been quiet for most of the meal, only speaking when a question is directed specifically toward him.

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By the time their server comes to clear the dishes from the table, the atmosphere among the five is very relaxed. Trowa attributes it mainly to the alcohol, but there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Duo excuses himself to use the rest room with a lame parting joke about renting the beer. Trowa watches as Heero’s eyes follow Duo across the room. For a minute, Trowa thinks he is going to follow him, but it doesn’t happen. It is obvious to Trowa that he wants to though, and he can’t help but wonder what is stopping him. Trowa is sure it is not the optics.

Heero shows little regard for societal norms and that is something that Trowa has always envied about him. He partially attributes this to Heero’s ignorance of such things, but the rest is most definitely willful disregard.

Right now, as he watches Heero watching Duo, Trowa sees no trace of the murderous rage he’d spoken of to Heero yesterday. He is even second guessing his assertion that there is any type of sexual tension between them.

There is a fondness there in Heero’s eyes; a profound one. It is crystal clear to Trowa and he cannot help but wonder if Heero is even aware of it. Trowa doesn’t understand how anyone could *not* know, but there are sufficient amounts of anger and resentment there too; maybe enough to potentially bury anything else.

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When Duo returns, it is unanimously decided that they will forego dessert.

It is still early, and it is Wufei that suggests they play a few rounds of darts. Trowa agrees with the alternative Wufei has suggested. Had this been a typical evening, the four former pilots would spend the next few hours in relaxed, easy conversation. It is not that simple tonight.

The competition between them is healthy and no one is particularly dominating the game. Duo, who is unfamiliar with the rules, stands with the toes of his boots crossing the tape line, but none of the others give him a hard time about it.

They have gathered a small crowd around them. Trowa is amused, and perhaps a little embarrassed by the exclamations of awe and surprise as another of his darts hits the very center of the board; his third in a row.

Heero claps him on the back, waits until Trowa removes his darts from the board and then stands just behind the tape line and takes aim, throwing the first of his three darts in the triple ring of section number one. Duo laughs and Heero turns toward him and smiles.

Heero carefully aims his second dart and it hits its target in the triple ring of section two, the next dart following suit for section three. Heero nods at Duo to urge him to go next, even though it is technically not his turn. Trowa laughs softly and prepares to take his turn once Duo is finished. The silly game that Heero has begun isn’t at all regulation, but the sentiment behind it is one that Trowa wholly appreciates.

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It is nearing midnight when they decide to call an end to the evening.

As far as Trowa is concerned, the outing was a monumental success. Everyone is saying their goodbyes as they make their way to the door. Heero is talking softly with Duo and Trowa wants it to mean that the feud between them is over; or at the very least, that the first steps have been taken.

Once outside on the street they part company; Heero and Wufei heading north, while Quatre, Trowa and Duo head to the south. Trowa resists the urge to ask Duo how he thought the evening went, but secretly hopes that Quatre will.

If Quatre chooses not to bring it up, Trowa will just have to be patient until Monday morning when they are back at work. Trowa has already decided that he is not going to outright ask Heero about it.

Any positive changes in the dynamic between them would probably not go unnoticed… by any of them.

end


End file.
